Location-Based Promotions Using Data Derived from Item Sampling Events

1. A method of identifying a set of recommended items to a user, comprising: correlating a first item to one or more potential second items using a computing system and a data repository associated with the computing system to identify a set of candidate items predicted to be of interest to the user, the data repository containing at least one rating for the first item from the user, the user the at least one rating for the first item having been acquired during a group item sampling event during which the first item was sampled; identifying a user physical location based on location data for the user provided by a user mobile computing device; correlating the user physical location to one or more selected merchants in the vicinity of the user physical location with the computing system, wherein the one or more selected merchants are identified by the computing system to carry one or more of the candidate items; in response to detecting the one or more merchants in the vicinity of the user physical location, processing the set of candidate items with the computing system to identify the set of recommended items based on a calculated rating for the user for the set of candidate items; providing at least one electronic coupon to the user's mobile computing device for selected ones of the set of recommended items; and providing electronic location indicia to the user's mobile computing device identifying a physical location of the one or more selected merchants carrying the selected ones of the set of recommended items.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising collecting the at least one rating from the user.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the data repository contains at least one predictive rating of the first item or one of the one or more potential second items for the user, the at least one predictive rating being provided by another user.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the correlating the first item to the one or more potential second items employs the at least one rating and the at least one predictive rating.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the at least one rating and the at least one predictive rating are gathered by asking the user and the other user to express preferences for a defined set of items.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first item is among the set of candidate items.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the providing at least one electronic coupon further comprises providing at least one electronic coupon specific to one of the one or more selected merchants.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising performing the method for a plurality of users, such that the at least one electronic coupon comprises a plurality of electronic coupons.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising establishing a redemption rate for the plurality of electronic coupons.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the redemption rate is specific to ones of the one or more selected merchants.

11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising identifying which of the plurality of electronic coupons are redeemed.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising collecting a rating from the user on a second item purchased with the at least one electronic coupon.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating an invitation from a host entity to said user and other users to attend said group item sampling event.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein said invitation includes an access code for said group item sampling event.

15. A method of identifying a set of recommended consumable items to a user, comprising: generating an invitation for a sampling event, the invitation including an access code required for participants, including the user, to attend said event during a first sampling event period; conducting said sampling event for said participants, during which sampling event ratings are collected from the user and said participants for a set of consumable items, including at least a first rating from the user for at least one first consumable item; correlating the first consumable item to one or more potential second items using a computing system and a data repository associated with the computing system to identify a set of candidate items predicted to be of interest to the user; identifying a user physical location based on location data for the user provided by a user mobile computing device; correlating the user physical location to one or more selected merchants in the vicinity of the user physical location with the computing system, wherein the one or more selected merchants are identified by the computing system to carry one or more of the candidate items; in response to detecting the one or more merchants in the vicinity of the user physical location, processing the set of candidate items with the computing system to identify the set of recommended items based on a calculated rating for the user for the set of candidate items; providing at least one electronic coupon to the user's mobile computing device for selected ones of the set of recommended items; and providing electronic location indicia to the user's mobile computing device identifying a physical location of the one or more selected merchants carrying the selected ones of the set of recommended items.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein said correlating the first consumable item to the one or more second consumable items occurs during said sampling event.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein said participants are selected from a social network.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein said participants are selected based on matching a target profile.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein at least some of said sampling event ratings are published on a social network page.

20. The method of claim 15 , further comprising selecting a subset of said participants for testing or rating items in a second sampling event based on their ratings predictive ability.

21. The method of claim 15 , wherein at least some of said participants can attend said sampling event virtually through a network connection.

22. The method of claim 15 , further comprising presenting promotional material to said participants during said sampling event for said at least one first consumable item.

23. The method of claim 15 , wherein a source of said at least one first consumable item is masked during said sampling event.

24. The method of claim 15 , wherein said at least one first consumable item along with other consumable items is part of a pre-packaged sampling event kit whose origin is masked.

25. The method of claim 15 , wherein at least some consumable items in said set of set of consumable items for said sampling event are supplied by said participants.

26. The method of claim 15 , wherein others of said set of consumable items are seed items supplied by an organizer based on their expected rating being relatively high or low compared to others of said set of consumable items.

27. A method of identifying a set of recommended items to a first user, comprising: correlating a first item to one or more potential second items using a computing system and a data repository associated with the computing system to identify a set of candidate items predicted to be of interest to the first user, the data repository containing at least one rating for the first item for the user; wherein the at least one rating for the first item for the first user is provided by a second user as a prediction rating for the first user during a group item sampling event during which the first item was sampled by said second user; further wherein said second user is identified as a social network friend of said first user; identifying a user physical location based on location data for the user provided by a user mobile computing device; correlating the user physical location to one or more selected merchants in the vicinity of the user physical location with the computing system, wherein the one or more selected merchants are identified by the computing system to carry one or more of the candidate items; in response to detecting the one or more merchants in the vicinity of the user physical location, processing the set of candidate items with the computing system to identify the set of recommended items based on a calculated rating for the user for the set of candidate items; providing at least one electronic coupon to the user's mobile computing device for selected ones of the set of recommended items; and providing electronic location indicia to the user's mobile computing device identifying a physical location of the one or more selected merchants carrying the selected ones of the set of recommended items.